The Jig and Reel
Irish Dance Article By Emmerson, George S
Added Thursday 9th November 2006George S. Emmerson notes in A Social History of Scottish Dance the origins of the term "jig." It is quoted below.
"It has often been suggested that the word 'jig' is derived from the old French name gigue meaning a small fiddle, and certainly the first recorded use of the word in English in John de Garlandia?s Vocabulary (ca. 1225) seems to confirm this supposition" (Emmerson 193).
Sailors historically danced the jig of which there are many variations. Some examples of the jig are the light jig, heavy jig, slip jig, hop jig, and triple jig. The light jig is the fastest; the dancer?s feet infrequently leave the floor higher than twelve inches, and for each bar of music the action is repeated three times. The dancer wears heavy shoes when performing the heavy jig, and there is much loud stomping (Flynn 31-33). The slip jig with its combination of grace and power is danced in nine-eight time and is so unique as to be called the ballet of Irish dance (Theresa).
The Kinneys, in their book The Dance, quote Mr. Patrick J. Long, himself a scholar on Irish history, as saying:
?[Jigs are] danced as solos by man or woman, by two men, two women, a couple, two men and a woman, two, three, four or eight couples. In ?set dances,? as they are called when performed by a ?set? of couples, the steps are simpler than in solo work; and the time is also simpler in the music of set dances that in the airs used to accompany solos and the work of teams of two? (177-178).
Danced on the flats of feet and usually performed by four couples, set dances are usually arranged on the sides of a square. Further, they are arranged into ?figures? numbering two to nine, but usually five or six. Leaps and traveling movements are usually avoided (Fiona).
The jig and reel have a lot in common ? enough so that the jig and reel can be danced to each other?s music with minor modifications to the underlying rhythm (Theresa). The reel is characterized by speedy gliding movements that are silent (Kinney 177), although the reel is less graceful and smooth than the light jig and single jig. The reel, is also the first Irish dance generally learned by novice students (Theresa).
